


"Please don't make me socialize."

by markonasurface (idwir)



Series: 50 Quote Prompts [10]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Future Fic, M/M, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-20
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-05-09 05:08:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14709684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idwir/pseuds/markonasurface
Summary: Andrew and Neil are at a team charity event when Kevin shows up to extend their invitation to Court.





	"Please don't make me socialize."

Neil looked around at the stupid fancy ballroom and tried not to look bored. There were cameras everywhere and although they didn’t immediately make him feel like running anymore, he still didn’t like them.

Andrew kicked his foot under the table and Neil looked over at him. Black tie looked good on him. His blond hair was combed to the side and the years between his childhood traumas and his adult career had made the dark circles under his eyes less prominent.

He motioned with his head toward the door framed by a balloon arch in their team colors. Neil shook his head once. They were only thirty minutes into the event and their Coach had told them it was mandatory to stay for at least a couple of hours tonight.

As far as he could tell, there was nothing special about this fundraiser that warranted the mandatory attendance. The same type of rich investors and socialites attended, dressed in suits and floor length dresses so expensive they could pay for a kid’s college tuition. They were seated around a round table with some of their teammates and their dates. Wives, girlfriends, a famous actress Neil only recognized from years of team movie nights in college.

The orchestra that had been hired to play this fundraiser to support some local foster care program finished their song and didn’t start a new one. The microphone squeaked, drawing everyone’s attention to the stage.

Their coach gave a wave and a smile. “Good evening, everyone. We are so glad you could make it tonight to help raise funds for Foster Me Kindly!”

Andrew snorted and Neil shot him a look.

“We are so grateful for your generosity. We want you to have a great time, but before I tell you all to enjoy the open bar, the music, and hors d’oeuvres, I’d like to invite the starting striker for the United States Court, the son of Exy himself, Kevin Day to the stage!”

Andrew sat up straighter in his seat. It wasn’t unusual to see Kevin at a fundraiser, but he usually crashed in Andrew and Neil’s guest room when he was in town and texted them in advance so Neil knew to clear their nights for practice.

“Thank you,” Kevin said, smiling his press smile. “If you’re a big Exy fan, you know that in college I played Exy on the same team as two men in this room. In fact, I tried to recruit them both. One of them shot me down twice. The other I had to argue would make Court before the school okayed him. Andrew, I hope you won’t deny me a third time and Neil, thank you for not making me a liar.”

The crowd erupted into cheers as Kevin announced, “It is my pleasure to extend an invitation from the United States National Court to Andrew Minyard and Neil Josten to join us in taking gold in Rio!”

Neil vaguely felt his teammates hands on his back and felt someone push him toward the stage. His heart was loud in his ears and he felt the temperature in the room rising.

Kevin gripped him in a hug and whispered in French, “Smile. You look like you’re going to be sick.”

“I think I am going to be sick,” Neil told him but tried to look happy.

Surprisingly, Andrew offered Kevin a hand to shake. Kevin told Neil, “Say something.”

Neil swallowed. The lights around him were too bright and the camera flashes weren’t helping. “It’s only his pleasure cause Kevin doesn’t like to be wrong,” Neil tried to steady his breathing as he waited for the laughter to die down. “As a teenager I never thought I’d ever play for a professional team, let alone Court.”

“Cause you thought you’d be dead before 20,” Andrew said behind him.

He ignored him, gripping the podium until his knuckles turned white. “It’s a great honor. I don’t know what else to say but thank you. Thank you, Coach Hernandez, Kevin, Andrew, Coach Wymack, the Foxes, my team and coach now. Thank you.”

The three of them walked off the stage and Neil hurried toward the bathroom. He pushed open the first stall and fell to his knees, stomach heaving.

“Get out.”

Kevin sighed at Andrew and turned his press smile on the others in the bathroom. “Some privacy would be appreciated.”

Andrew pulled Neil back so he was sitting and forced his head down. “Breathe, Neil,” Andrew commanded with practiced callousness. Years of living together meant years of forcing Neil through his panic attacks.

When he finally stopped hyperventilating Andrew eased the pressure off his neck but didn’t remove his hand. Kevin waited for Neil’s breathing to return to normal before asking, “You okay?”

It had been years since Kevin last saw Neil freak out and it showed in the uncomfortable way he watched his face. Kevin grabbed a towel from a basket by the sink and wet it.

He handed it to Neil who used it to wipe his face and cool himself down. Neil’s stomach was still tight and he pleaded, “Please don’t make me socialize. Not right now.”

“You gave me your game the first time we practiced together.”

“The second time we practiced together,” Neil corrected. “And I took it back.”

“We’re on the same team again,” Kevin reminded both of them. “Let’s go.”

* * *

 

They had barely stepped out of the men’s room when the first person stuck out a hand to congratulate them. Relief filled Neil’s chest and ran through his veins when he recognized the person.

“Coach.” Neil hugged the man who believed in people like Neil and Andrew and gave them as many chances as they needed.

“What’d you think? I’d miss you shits making Court?” Wymack’s voice was gruff. “Don’t embarrass me. You hear me, Minyard?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Andrew waved a hand.

Wymack looked between the three of them. “Let’s get out of here.”

“But Coach -”

“Gave me permission to take you to dinner.” He widened his eyes in mock surprise. “Don’t tell me you two actually enjoy these things now. I’ll sign myself up for a marathon if that’s true.”

Reporters started shouting their names as soon as they stepped out of the building. Kevin was the only one who smiled.

“Neil! Andrew!”

“Look over here!”

“How does it feel?”

“Mr. Day! Kevin!”

Kevin nodded at the reporter in acknowledgement.

“You’ve said before the national Court was working hard to try to place at the next Olympics. Never before have you said you guys are going to win gold. What’s changed?”

“Obviously we’ve got two new players,” Kevin stated and gestured beside him.

“Yes, but how does your team feel knowing you didn’t believe they could actually do it until Josten and Minyard joined?”

Kevin sighed. If someone had asked him during a team practice, he would have told them honestly that they needed to put in a lot more practice before he was confident enough to claim gold. But this was Press Kevin so he said, “I never said I didn’t believe we could win gold at the Olympics. We have a very competent team and we are going to train very hard for the next two years so we can give it our all in Rio.”

“Yes, but you’ve never stated it before like you have tonight.”

“Perhaps it is because Neil is the fastest striker in the game and Andrew has the highest percentage of blocks per shots made on goal. You’d understand the extra boost of confidence.” Kevin shrugged.

He threw out one last statement to end the conversation. “Or perhaps I am just excited to be playing on the same team as them again.” He gave a wave and got into the passenger side of Andrew’s car the valet had brought around.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this one so long ago. I've been rereading these as I move them from tumblr to here and idk why but I like this one.


End file.
